"Girlie, GB's new ice pop, is pink and has make-up inside the stick. It says a lot about what GB thinks about girls and how they should be," said the association in a statement.

It seems likely to fail, however, as its fate is already known:

"I question whether there is a demand [for the ice pop]," said [Consumers Association] secretary general Jan Bertoft.

Well... if there is no demand for the ice pop, why even try? Let alone market other products of its type? If it were to succeed, what would be next? Pink backpacks? I shudder to think about it...

This does pose an interesting question (if not an original one), especially for an American like myself who is used to anything and everything being marketed. The sorts of statements above are a rather quintessential example of the Nordic model to me. What is the greater good? Free production despite possible social consequences, or the maintenance of identified limits to preserve society? I think I know what most Americans believe...